Six Pac-12 defensive backs named to Thorpe Award watch list

The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding defensive back, released its preseason watch list for 2017 and six Pac-12 players are among those listed.

The 2017 Thorpe Award will be awarded to one of three finalists, voted on by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) All-American committee. The award will be presented live on ESPN at the Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday, Dec. 7. The Thorpe Award banquet will be held Feb. 6, 2018 in Oklahoma.

Here are the Pac-12 players on the watch list (alphabetically)

Chase Hansen, safety, Utah

Iman Marshall, cornerback, USC

Quenton Meeks, cornerback, Stanford

Taylor Rapp, safety, Washington

Justin Reid, safety, Stanford

Jaleel Wadood, safety, UCLA

Stanford leads the way with the most players on the list with two, followed by one each from UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington.